


7 rings

by hieronymusb



Category: Great Pretender (Anime)
Genre: M/M, POV Multiple, POV Outsider, Rating for later chapters, feat Laurent as a Makoto simp, set Pre-Case 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:48:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27765496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hieronymusb/pseuds/hieronymusb
Summary: Makoto poses as Shi-won's heir to her cosmetics empire to gain access to the richest and most gullible people they can scam. Laurent loves to see it.
Relationships: Abigail Jones/OFC, Edamura Makoto/Laurent Thierry, Edamura Makoto/OMC
Comments: 25
Kudos: 175





	1. pasteis

Philippe likes his concierge job. The pay is good, he can use his natural charm to get some (rare) additional tips from the regulars and his new suit (that he bought with his first paycheck) makes him look even better. Well, considering that he’s the first person people see when they check in at his small desk he thinks he should look as good as he can. 

The weather in Paris has been ridiculously beautiful all month (with some rare summer showers), and he even had time to grab some pastries from the Portuguese bakery a few blocks down. The creamy pasteis are a rare treat and he’s thinking about getting some for Jean and himself when he notices a sleek black car pull up outside on the curb. He straightens and flashes a smile at the young man that comes to his desk, shiny silver suitcase in tow.

“Bonjour,” a slight accent, Phillipe notices, and the man continues in English “I have a reservation on Kim, I’d like to check in.” The man is wearing dark sunglasses and a simple but well tailored suit over a t- shirt. It’s the kind of look that seems effortless but can cost a pretty penny when it’s from a big brand. As he’s putting in the guests data, a Kim Min-jun, his guest puts up his sunglasses and begins tapping on his phone. He’s not exactly Phillipe’s type but he has to admit the Korean man is pretty. Flawless skin, eyes carefully lined just enough to look natural and a slight blush to complete the look. “Well Mr.Kim, you booked the suite on the first floor, is that correct?” 

He knows that the suite with the terrace is actually a double bed room so he’s slightly surprised to see the man check in alone. It’s a bad habit of his to think too much about the guest’s intentions and lives in general, but he has a vivid imagination, ok? 

“Ah well, my aunt booked the room for me. I’ve never been to Paris…”, the young man hesitates slightly. He fumbles with the inner pocket on his suit but swiftly slides a crisp 100 Euro bill over to Phillipe. “Could you get the rest of my luggage upstairs? And do you have some recommendations for some nice places around here?” Philippe pockets the money and hesitates slightly as well, “Well there’s a few cafes and bistro around here, not even considering Les Halles…”

***

Makoto flops down on the fluffy bed and looks out to the terrace. The hydrangeas outside are artfully placed and carefully arranged around a small table. The rain from last night has them drooping slightly and the white petals contrast with the vibrant green foliage.

He sends a quick text to Shi-won but the Korean keyboard makes it a little difficult. 

“Checked in. All good.” He has her saved as Shi-Won ajumeoni to make it easier for him and more natural to anyone that might happen to look at his phone contacts. If anyone asks he tells them he’s related but that it’s complicated. Shi-won replies a few minutes later with “Enjoy the stay!” followed by a kissy face emoji. Makoto gets up from the bed and snaps a quick picture of the flowers, forwards it to Abby. She’ll put it on his account with just the right filter and caption (and delete any meta data that might incriminate him) and that should make his followers curious enough. 

The account was set up a few years ago and filled with pictures of flowers, resorts and sun sets but is now getting its full share for this heist. A totally new account would raise too much suspicion, Cynthia said. She also made him add a few photos here and there to his story to make the account look more active. He took a candid mirror selfie in a glitzy Taiwan resort last month with the caption “Hello all!”. Cynthia also instructed him to take selfies and pictures of his breakfast to add to his story to make the whole con come together. Abby is the genius behind making the pictures look actually perfect. Makoto is just the source.

Abbey texts him back a few minutes later with “Take a few pics of the food you’re getting ok”. He replies with a thumbs up and decides to test out the shower. The sandalwood soap and body cream seems more expensive than it has any right to be but it smells amazing. He can indulge a bit, right? He has to appear like the cosmetics company heir he’s supposed to be so he might make the most of it.

At the start he protested against it, why can’t Abby or Cynthia or Shi-won do it? He was quickly shot down by them, arguing that he could build a much more popular influencer persona than them. When he argues that someone like Shi-won could stand out much more he gets a hit up on his head with what he later realises is her telling him to respect her elder’s experience in Korean.

Makoto has to entice the staff at first and then work his way up in the haute volée of Paris to make this plan go full throttle. It’s only a small part of the plan but he has to build up a believable presence before making it big in America. Cynthia told him that even if he makes it into an online editorial related to fashion week they’d already made huge strides in this con. They don’t have a specific target this time, and like the Ibrahim brothers, it’s people with too much money and too little sense. He’s already been invited to a few select rooftop parties (it’s hell on his anxiety so he prefers to stay alert and not drink too much).


	2. Blini

The people there are shallow but act like he’s their best friend, when Abbey and him joined one exclusive party in Berlin. He’s never been around this many people his age and feels out of place. Abby fits right in though, putting on an extroverted mask and greeting people with cheek kisses and taking cute selfies here and there. 

“Oh, who’s your friend!”, a tall blonde asks and eyes him up and down. He knows his outfit is more expensive than it looks. Maybe people recognize the brand? Makoto is flustered and tries to remember what he’s wearing exactly.

Abby’s laugh is totally fake and he thinks it doesn’t suit her at all. No one seems to notice though. “That’s Min-jun. He’s a little shy!”. The blonde laughs and replies “Well, Asians guys in general are. This guy I once hooked up with-” he can’t hear the rest of the conversation over the loud music and the noise of all the people there and decides to stick to being ‘that shy Asian guy’ for the rest of the evening.

He’s trying to look not shy and just not interested while sipping his gin and tonic when someone grabs his free hand.  
The blonde pulls him out of the throng of people talking and dancing suddenly and he squawks a little (how undignified) when she drags him along and says “Come on, Min-jun, the view is great!”. She’s at least a head taller than him and in heels and is deceptively strong.

Once they’re outside and it’s a little quieter he tries to say “Heights aren’t really…”. She looks at him then, and although her eyes are already a little glassy from drinking and her movements are uncoordinated, she pulls him on one of the sofas on the terrace. 

The blonde flops down on the cushions and cradles her drink to her chest. “Yeah I’m actually not great with the crowds...but I have to network and make connections you know…”. Tati (real name Tatyana, daughter of a Russian oligarch) turns out to be a really sweet girl and Makoto feels great to get some fresh air with someone that’s at least bearable. 

She starts talking non stop after cheerily telling him her name immediately though. He wonders how Abby is doing and hopes she can get some space too. Maybe he looks for her a little too obviously because Tati smirks and asks, “Are you and Fatima dating? You guys make SUCH an adorable couple!”

“Ah, we’re not…”, why is he so tongue tied today? He’s supposed to be charming and professional to “network and make connections”, as the blonde said. 

They’re thankfully interrupted by two guys, one of them offering Tati the cigarette in his hand while making small talk. He’s a little scandalized when he realises it’s not a normal cigarette and declines when she offers the joint to him (as if he hasn’t done worse things than smoking weed). She blows the smoke out in rings and hands the joint back to one of the guys and they disappear back into the crowd.

“Fatima reminds me a lot of my ex.”, she says and seems to deflate further into the cushions. “It’s hard seeing someone like her waltz around here looking all gorgeous.” Makoto wants to offer some stereotypical solace but she just slaps his back and laughs. “I’d date you right away if you were a girl though! You’re so pretty!”, he flushes at the compliment. He managed to do his makeup without Abby's help today even when it’s just a very basic look. “Who’s your make up artist?”, she asks and her hand lingers on his wrist. She’s basically a stranger but it doesn’t feel weird. It’s nice and comforting, like when Laurent touches him briefly.

“I do it my own! My aunt is in the industry so I get to try a lot of products…”, and Tati perks up immediately. “Oh my god you need to give me your IG, whatsapp, Line, whatever!”, eyes shining but already a little red. They exchange contact information and talk shop for what seems like quite a while (Tatyana actually has a degree in business management and wants to get into more fields). She keeps getting drinks and hits from joints from several guys that randomly join and Makoto gets a little anxious.

“Min-Joooooonnnn, we should-...like, connect our families…!”, she’s draped over Makoto and he just realised that the front zipper on her dress goes all the way down from her top to the edge of the garment. She’s abandoned her chunky heels already and has one bare leg thrown over his. “Oh yeah that...sounds good.” he manages to say. He can see the first two guys come back with drinks and thanks the heavens that Abby pushes them aside and smiles at them all sweet and fake. 

He hears something like “Sorry, I have to get my friends!” in German (not that he knows much of that but he can tell from her body language and expression) and before he knows it he’s in one of the most awkward elevator rides of his life. Abby has her arms crossed and is staring at the numbers on the digital screen. Tati is draped over his shoulder and muttering in Russian while he tries to keep her stable without touching her too much. They reach the ground floor and he manages to maneuver the leggy blonde into their Uber and wants to call it a night. Abby's glare makes him think twice and he gets an address for an apartment not far from here, even though it takes several tries in English.

The blonde dozes against his shoulder during the drive. Her hair looks soft and supple and he decidedly doesn’t want to think of Laurent right now.

He pays and tips the driver and lugs Tatyana into the next elevator while she, what he can only imagine, is praising him in Russian. 

Her apartment in Mitte looks expensive and is subdued and not as tacky as he thought it would be.

Makoto hits the light switch and winces. The lights in the rooftop apartment were flashy and low but the entrance is immediately bathed in bright light. Tatyana is muttering under her breath and raises her arm towards one of the doors. 

“Min-jun come on, let’s go to bedddd…” the blonde mumbles. He’s already exhausted from getting her up the stairs of the apartment entry. He tries to let her into bed gently but she flops down much like she did when she sat down on the couch on the terrace, just less graceful. Makoto pulls off her heels and decides to call it a night after pulling the blanket over the woman, already snoozing, in her bed.

Abby texts him as he closes the bedroom door. “Stay the night. Sleep on the sofa. DON’T make it awkward. We need her.” He can see the reason behind it. Just dropping off an oligarch’s daughter that’s already way too intoxicated could lead to some nasty rumours. Or nasty consequences. He doesn’t need that this early in the con.

The velvet couch in the open living room/kitchen looks comfortable enough. He pulls the thin throw blanket on the couch over himself and tells himself that this is all part of the con. The pillows are more decorative than comfortable but he has seen worse. He doesn’t have to do this again. Hopefully.

He wakes up from the sun streaming in from the open balcony blinds. Makoto tries and turns away from the bright light but he can’t go back to sleep. There’s sounds coming from the kitchen and when he turns around he sees Tatyana busy at the kitchen island.

She perks up when she sees him move. “Oh hey! Sorry to wake you, but do you want some blini? I got some real nice caviar my dad bought me and we have proper smetana too! It’s easy to get here for some reason-” she keeps going as Makoto tries to wake up. He’s still in his clothes from the night before and is itching for a shower. He distantly hopes that when he leaves he doesn’t look like he just slept with a Russian heiress.

They eat breakfast on the terrace of the apartment and it’s weird but familiar all the same. He spent the night at a stranger’s place but nothing happened. The blini are fluffy and just the right amount of greasy and he’s happy that he gets to experience this.

Tatyana places a cup of fresh coffee before him and lights a cigarette while she talks, after offering the pack to him and putting it back in the pocket of her robe when he shakes his head.

“Fatima just dropped into my life suddenly, it was SO weird. But I feel like I’ve known her all my life. She’s so much less mysterious compared to her though…”, she trails off and the way she holds her coffee cup makes Makoto soft. “My ex girlfriend was so closed off...I felt like I was just a side note in her life, you know?”. 

It’s a strange contrast, Makoto is still in the outfit he wore the night before while the woman in front of him is baring it all while wearing a fluffy cognac coloured bathrobe, cradling a steaming cup of coffee.

He decides to go all in.

“My...partner and I? We didn't really meet on equal footing either.”

Tatyana singles on the partner part though. “Wait, you’re taken? You should’ve told me!”, and she playfully slaps his shoulder.

“Well when he first met me-” and he already regrets making it not vague enough because his host is in fits now-

“You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend!” and Makoto thinks she’s way too cheery for a hungover Russian socialite. She takes another drag from her cigarette and stubs it out in the ashtray between them, fixes him with her unfairly clear blue eyes. “So how did you meet and how did you fall for that partner of yours?” 

He can’t exactly say that he’s fallen for Laurent. He’s intrigued, is how he tells himself.

On one hand Makoto feels bad about bearing it all to some woman he met at what was basically a mixer. On the other hand he feels a kind of kinship to this person that is basically in the same position as him. He thinks of Abby too and tries to imagine how this situation might work out.

Laurent pulled him into this thing even if he wasn't involved directly. So he might as well apply some damage control while he’s at it.

He fidgets and says “We met by chance. And I decided to get...involved with him? I wasn’t sure what I should do at that point in my life. But he pulled me into his life and it all went from there. I’m not sure how I feel about that...” His English isn’t really working this early in the morning but Tatyana smiles at him as they both sip their coffee. The way he lies comes across as modesty, maybe.

“Well, you can message me when you have boy troubles! Oh, is it alright with you if I add this to my story?”, and she shows him her phone. The picture is just him sleeping on her couch, captioned MY KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR and several emojis. Well, it would certainly help to get him known among her circle. And it wouldn’t be too incriminating just as Abby told him…

Tatyana takes another picture of their table and asks if he’s okay to add that one too to her story. He says okay to both pictures, mostly because they don't show his face. It would make the whole con more believable if someone well connected like her tagged her in her stories, right? He thanks her profusely for the food and for hosting him and Tatyana sees him off by kissing his cheeks twice (like Laurent did once) when he finally manages to get a cab to the small art hotel he’s staying at in Kreuzberg.

He feels a little bad using her as his key to a bigger clique of rich kids. But the real big fish are just a step away...

As he lays down on the bed again, this time showered and in a bathing robe, he considers texting Tatyana a picture of the flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Makoto Edamura: women respecter extraordinaire


	3. Pain au chocolat

Manning the night shift desk usually means long hours with nothing happening. Sometimes Phillipe has to fend off more unruly trespassers from the club connected to the hotel and tell them that there’s a bathroom right in the club, thank you, please leave now! But he has to keep a jovial and pleasant facade just in case some regulars or celebs just happen to pass by. Sometimes he has to direct patrons to a taxi or up to their rooms. 

Usually most of his night shifts are spent keeping an eye on the door and texting Jean, anticipating cute pictures of Minou. He’s just admiring a pic of his boyfriend and said cat (he’s still surprised how she’s taken a liking to him) when he notices two men stumble into the lobby.

Phillipe almost puts on his best annoyed doorman face when he sees that it’s his favourite regular, a young Korean businessman checked into the terrace suit almost a month ago. Min-jun waves a cheery but slurred “Bon soir!” at him while his companion keeps him steady. 

“Sorry to be a nuisance at this hour!”, the tall blonde says as he deposits a 50 Euro bill on Phillipe’s desk. The man must’ve been drinking too, if only a little, his accent telling him that the blonde might not be Parisian born and raised. Phillipe pockets the money with a practiced swipe and oh, he is so getting Jean, his cat and him a fancy breakfast with this. 

The blonde his current favourite regular is using as a climbing pole admonishes the younger man soothingly, adjusting his grip around what looks like a handful of drunk weight. “I’ll just get him to his room and then be out your way.”, and while it’s technically against the house rules to allow non-registered guests into the rooms, Phillipe takes a little pity on the tall blonde and the young Korean man. And getting a cab at this time of the night must be a hassle…

“Don’t worry, monsieur. It’s no big deal!”, he internally curses himself at being this lenient but it’s late and he just got a nice tip from what he can only assume are two slightly tipsy lovebirds (well, one, considering the fond looks the blonde gentleman keeps shooting at the brunette), there should be no harm in it. The tall blonde thanks him and bids Phillipe good night.

He watches the duo stumble towards the elevator and can already tell that the housekeepers will fight over who will be on room service duty that morning. The young Asian man always tips outrageously and yet leaves his room so tidy that there’s not much work to be done. 

(“He makes his bed, Phillipe! His bed! Who the fuck does that?”, Maria, one of the maids, demanded of him while clutching his lapels over-dramatically. She only works here to support her daughter and her grandchildren, as far as he knows. It’s nice to know that she doesn’t have to work that hard at her age because of regulars like Min-jun.)

He jots down a quick note for Marcel, his replacement for the day shift. Some extra pain au chocolat and some strong espresso and juice for breakfast room service would be just what he would need after a night out.

(Unbeknownst to them, Laurent was insistent when he told Makoto to “never, ever, underestimate housekeepers, maids or secretaries. Especially if they’re young women. Especially if they’re underpaid. We’ve had several cons shortened or done early because staff or secretaries agreed to work with us. You can’t imagine what they see and know.”)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *performs CPR on this fandom* LIVE DAMMNIT
> 
> also I based the hotel on the Les Bains in Paris if you wanna know how fancy Makoto's lodgings are


	4. hoppang

Makoto never usually picks on when an unknown number is calling him. He’s been trying to find some honest jobs besides his work at the small coffee shop near his place so maybe it’s someone calling back for an application? He picks up and immediately Cynthia’s cheery voice comes through the receiver.

“Edamame! How are you?” They make idle small talk and he asks how Abby is doing (“Oh she’s been doing her own thing, how have you been?”, deflecting the question like usual), and he gets slightly suspicious when Cynthia mentions an eventual operation. He’d just lure in potential targets and not do any actual field work per se. 

“Just sit pretty and report the rest to us!”, is how Cynthia sums it all up to him. After making the necessary connections her or Laurent would take over, offering loans and investments with a truly ridiculous turn out. People that have more money that they know what to do with it are really easily led astray it turns out. Just the thought of getting a larger pay out makes them susceptible it seems.

But to make this whole scheme work he has to draw in said potential targets by posing as the gullible and unassuming heir of a successful company, headed by his (supposedly) aunt in name Shi-Won. Makoto just has to make the necessary connections and entice the right kind of people. Abby will handle the necessary social media accounts and picture editing when necessary. Laurent will only come in as a last resort and act as their accountant and financial expert. Shi-won is brilliant on her own but they need Makoto as an unassuming foil.

“You won’t be doing that much work, you just have to find the right people!”, Cynthia tells him. Makoto feels like he should be refusing her offer with a firm NO THANK YOU I’M GOOD but Cynthia has been nice with him.

Mostly.

Maybe it’s just because she has been playing along with Laurent’s plans? The blonde’s plans are more complicated and elusive than any con he has run or been involved in. He’s not even sure if Laurent’s the one behind this whole thing.

Cynthia is already convincing and smart like that by herself. That might be why he tentatively agrees to join them on this con. The London operation was a mess but he salvaged it as well as he could. Makoto distinctly feels like he has a mistake to fix. As if trying to forge a painting and selling it at an already rigged auction was that right.

He agrees only on the terms that he can opt out whenever he wants and Cynthia just tells him to stay put and wait.

48 hours later he’s on a flight to Seoul. Abby picks him up at the airport and they take a taxi to what appears to be quite a high class hotel. Makoto will never quite get used to the frankly ostentatious displays of luxury in places like this. Abby and him will stay in a two bedroom suite with a shared living room so he decides to get to the gritty part right after putting away his clothes.

Abby looks at him trying to apply makeup while looking effortlessly cute and sighs. 

“You have to make it look like you’re doing this everyday…watch me.”, she picks up one of the unused brushes and shows him, even though it’s been some time since she actually applied make up herself (Cynthia usually does it for her). Makoto isn't as great of an actor as he apparently thinks, at least in situations like this. She has to admit he’s a fast learner though. After a few minutes of showing him the right gestures and movements and how it actually should look he has it down. She adjusts the smartphone with the ring light and the laptop they’re using as a monitor and leaves him to it. 

Abby flops down onto the sofa of the hotel room and starts up her console again. She has a speed-run to reclaim anyway. Her phone lights up while she loads her game with a notification: AJ has sent you US $5. She bites into one of the hoppang she got at the store down the street and swipes to unlock her phone.

She’s almost forgotten about that. Abby is on several dating sites and apps with a slightly older picture, wearing a shiny, curly, dark brown wig borrowed from Cynthia, the pictures carefully staged to appear casual. Her bio just reads “Send me 5 bucks for a surprise ;)”. 

A lot of men do send her money.

And she blocks all of them.

Men are so gullible.


	5. canapé

But a few months after the Berlin operation they find themselves in Switzerland. Their initial contact, Tatyana, has a chalet and boat on lake Geneva. The parties are lavish and wild, Tatyana flicking between people and making small talk. She greets them both enthusiastically when they arrive at the mansion rented by the heiress’s parents. 

Abby and him were picked up by a driver in a black car with tinted windows (and that’s not at all suspicious, they both silently agree) and then the tall blonde literally picks Makoto up when they get to the mansion.

Abby has to admit to herself that it’s really quite funny, the young man almost a foot off the ground and the Russian woman spinning him around, like she just picked him off from kindergarten. Makoto is blushing furiously and cursing her out but she can tell he tries not to laugh. She gets a peck on the cheek from the cheery young woman and proceeds to carry Makoto, scrabbling for a hold on the blonde’s shoulders for a grip, off into the entryway. 

She didn’t get the whole story from Makoto and doesn’t know what exactly he has done and how he has been communicating with the heiress. (She told him at the start “I’m not moderating your direct messages, fuck off.” when he was getting overwhelmed by DMs on his account. Makoto just glared at her but didn’t retaliate) but they seem to be hitting off. Abby watches as Makoto gets introduced to a bunch of her “friends”, getting drinks and snacks passed to him.

Just like in Berlin the people are friendly but she knows it’s all show. It’s shallow and superficial. Makoto is basically a honey pot to entice more rich stupid assholes into their con.

She’s mostly here to make sure he doesn’t fuck it up, and the place isn’t too shabby either. Could do with less people though.

Thankfully Tati is a good if very distracted host and pulls her out of the throng of people when Abby is occupied on her phone for a while. She did the same with Makoto back in Berlin and Abby wonders how someone so extroverted and tall can move so swiftly and silently. 

Maybe she’d make a good addition to what they’ve come to call a team. 

But only after they’ve made the most of her parents’ tax evasion, bribery and money laundering activities. 

It’s no wonder they haven’t been busted by several government agencies from all the lavish things the Russian woman posts online.

Tatyana is smoking while taking leisurely sips from her wine, enjoying the cool late summer air.

Abby is a little cold but she’s never been one for chillier climates anyway. She’s managed to snag a plate of fancy finger food the catering company provided so she’s content to snack away.

Most of the guests inside are more preoccupied with snorting lines of very high grade coke anyway. She idly wonders if Tatyana has taken a few hits, but the blonde is far too composed. It’s different compared to when she first made her acquaintance in a glitzy private club in St.Petersburg.

They’re a little secluded from the rest of the party, large glass sliding doors giving them a view of the people inside, yet the angle of the furniture on the patio hides them a little from the crowd. 

Makoto is talking with a man, who Abby knows, is a Swiss based photographer originally from Shanghai, adopted into a rich family as a child. The man is tall and, she has to admit, very handsome, intricate tattoos lining his arms. 

The photographer is very obviously coming onto Makoto who seems to play right along. Or maybe he’s faking it.

Sometimes even she can’t tell.

It’s infuriating.

Makoto blushes when the man has to lean down to repeat whatever he had said over the noise of the music and puts a hand on the smaller man’s shoulder. He laughs at whatever the other man said. If Makoto can get even more connections, the easier this plan will work.

“Jealous?”, Tatyana says as she smugly gazes at Abby over her wine glass.

Abby scowls. “As if. You know I only brought him along so I can get free stuff from his aunt’s company.” It’s a blatant lie, Abby doesn’t care about the whole stuff. The literal years worth supply of face masks with varying ingredients like propolis, aloe and snail essence (whatever that is) mean nothing to her. They do smell nice though.

Tatyana frowns and playfully smacks her shoulder with her free hand not holding the wine glass and her cigarette, “That’s cold, Tima!”. Abby doesn’t really dislike the nickname but the familiarity makes her uncomfortable. She’s also not a fan of getting smacked by leggy blondes all the time.

“You know, I thought you were dating at first. You do look cute together!”, the blonde continues. “Why is he flirting with that guy when he has a boyfriend though? That’s kind of cruel.”

Abby almost chokes on the finger food she was eating. What the hell did Makoto tell this woman? That he was dating Laurent of all people? It’s the only viable conclusion she can come to now, considering how close the two men have been the past months of this con.

It only gets worse when the other woman continues, “You know, he told me he didn’t meet that partner of his on equal terms...maybe that’s why he’s not so exclusive now...”

Great. Now she has to do damage control to make this whole thing go smoothly. Good job, Edamame. “Well, I’m not sure what his deal is. That’s not my style though.”, Abby admits. And to be honest, she doesn’t really know what her plan and role in this whole thing is either. 

There’s a separate staircase leading to the upper floors of the chalet and she doesn’t resist when the tall blonde pulls her upstairs. She can try to focus on Makoto’s part in this later in the day when she isn’t being distracted by an enthusiastic blonde kissing her breathless.

Maybe Edamame won’t fuck this up and she might as well get some well deserved distraction from this whole already fucked up plan. Abbey abandons the plate of snacks and instead follows Tatyana and her white wine flavored kisses up the heiress’ rooms. 

Makoto thinks that he’s good at reading people. It’s the be all and end all to a good con, hell, even a good old round of picking pockets relies on being able to read people’s body language and mood. 

With the Chinese photographer (Call me Xiaofei!, he had said), the proximity makes it almost impossible. The man is taller than him and has unfairly green brown eyes that would make him seem more like a model and not a photographer. Makoto tries to lighten the mood by dishing out the few Chinese phrases he can still remember and apparently that’s enough to make the taller Chinese man take a liking to him. Or maybe it’s because they’re the only Asian men among a throng of stupidly rich white people…

Xiaofei is almost as flirtatious and touchy as Laurent and again, he doesn’t want to think of that dumb blonde at times like this. Makoto tries to keep up with what the other man is telling him (his family owns a sports gear production company, and it’s apparently the last in the industry that’s still one hundred percent family owned? At least there’s that…). He’s not a prime target in this con but making more connections can’t hurt, right?

Xiaofei keeps showing him photoshoots he has done on his phone while they keep getting their drinks refilled by passing “friends” of their host and, when the music changes, pulls him on the makeshift dance floor in the chalet. And Makoto doesn’t resist when the taller man pulls his arms around his neck, settling his hands on Makoto’s hips. They sway along to the electronic beat that whoever has control of the music booth has selected. 

There’s a heady sort of rush from the attention not unlike when he first realized he’d made his first step into this glitzy upper class sphere.

The music changes to something more fast paced and people around the two of them cheer their approval.

The taller man grabs Makoto’s hips and moves them both along to the beat, drawing their bodies closer and guiding their movements to the music. Usually Makoto would object to being manhandled this way but now he can only go along with how the other man encircles his waist and guides his movements. He can feel the bass of the music system thrum through his body and nobody is paying attention to him probably. He’s just one of many bodies writhing at this party. 

Xiaofei is pressing sweaty almost-kisses to his temple and cheek as they continue to move to the accelerating beat.

The way people around them are cheering and whistling he’s probably seated in the other man’s lap already but all he can focus on are strong hands at his lower back and insistent kisses. Makoto feels almost more embarrassed that he’s been so public with his affections.


	6. Sachertorte

Laurent isn’t obsessively checking Makoto’s fake account. He’s just making sure this whole thing goes down smoothly and that it looks believable enough. 

He’s just catching up with some contacts in central and eastern Europe, and a twelve hour layover in Vienna means he can get some updates from the bank bribery case he’s been following quietly. Laurent hasn’t quite decided if he’s willing to get into a plan as risky as this so he’ll lay low for the while being. 

Again, he isn’t obsessively checking and following any of the accounts that Makoto’s side has accumulated. He’s just bored and maybe has too much time on his hands, enjoying some coffee and delicate pastries in a shaded courtyard. Oh how he missed the surly waiters in this capital...

Laurent is just looking at feeds and stories from various accounts, while he waits for another order of coffee, when one short clip catches his eye: the caption reads IT’S GETTING HOT IN HERE (and how cliche do you have to be but at least they used a good remix of the song) and for anyone in the know it’s clearly showing Makoto and a tall man shamelessly swaying to the short, choppy beat of the music. 

There’s people cheering in the background, shouting along to the lyrics (I AM GETTING SO HOT, I WANNA TAKE MY CLOTHES OFF), and Makoto has his arms wrapped around the other man’s shoulders, hips encircled by large hands. The clip cuts off before he can see if the two really kissed in view of the whole party and skips to a more mundane view, Makoto in the background while someone toasts other people with a glass of rosé on a boat. The shine of the surf behind the boat has been enhanced by a filter to sparkle.

A little bit of snooping turns up the account of the man in the video and Laurent is decidedly not jealous. He’s not a primary target since his family and business are not the kind he usually goes for. But maybe he can draw in more people by making connections, and he silently salutes Edamame for the foresight.

He’s slightly annoyed when the same artist shows up on his shuffle list of songs and he decidedly doesn’t want to think “You gonna want me” as he plays the track anyway during take off.

**Author's Note:**

> This is based loosely on the case of Anna Sorokin/Delvey with additional tactics inspired by German con man Jürgen Harksen. Look the cases up if you're interested, they're fascinating
> 
> to set the mood please listen to Fancy by The Dream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K4-snw22h8
> 
> as well as the first 20 minutes of this mix https://soundcloud.com/rinsefm/bokbok061220


End file.
